For toxicologists, silver nanoparticles present a conundrum: Does their toxicity in the environment stem from the nanoparticles themselves or from the silver ions that slough off the particles? Measuring these different forms of silver can be difficult. Now researchers have developed a method that can distinguish the two in simple lab samples (Anal. Chem., DOI: 10.1021/ac201086a).

Manufacturers add silver nanoparticles to consumer products such as clothing to exploit the particles’ antimicrobial properties. But the . . .